This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from an application for PORTABLE COMPUTER WITH MECHANISM SUPPORTING COVER earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on the 11th of Jun. 1999 and there duly assigned Serial No. 21785/1999.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates, in general, to portable computers and, more particularly, to a portable computer having means for supporting its cover when the cover is swiveled at an angle of 180 degrees and tilted completely toward its main body so that its display screen faces upward.
2. Related Art
The use of portable computers has been increasing rapidly, including laptop computers, notebook computers, palm-sized computers, and desktop replacement computers. Such portable computers are practical in that they are light. A portable computer is provided with a cover that is hinged with its main body. The cover serves to prevent a keyboard from being damaged and to hold a display screen. For some portable computers, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is employed as the display screen. Such a liquid crystal display is suitable for portable computers by reason of its low power consumption and, in particular, has very low power consumption in comparison with a cathode ray tube (CRT) display that is employed for general desktop computers. Additionally, the liquid crystal display generally shows a high degree of resolution under high illumination.
I have found that a display of a portable computer can be only moved in a restricted number of positions, and is not properly supported in each of those positions. Efforts have been made to improve positioning of displays for portable computers.
Exemplars of recent efforts in the art include U.S. Ser. No. 09/419,775 for Portable Computer Display Tilt/Swivel Mechanism and Method filed on 18 Oct. 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,849 for Swivel Mechanism for a Monitor of a Laptop Computer issued to Wu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,423 for Portable Electronic Apparatus Having a Display Unit Rotating in Vertical and Horizontal Directions issued to Ohgami et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,790 for Pivot and Swivel Mechanism for Lap Top Display issued to Thomas et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,561 for Portable Computer Having Display Slidably and Rotatably Mounted for Movement Between Landscape and Portrait Orientation and to Open and Close Speaker Ports issued to Huilgol et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,142 for Portable Computer Display Tilt/Swivel Mechanism issued to Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,362 for Portable Computer Apparatus with Articulating Display Panel issued to Winkler, U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,589 for Notebook Computer Having Flip Screen Which Pivots and Slides within a Frame issued to Bartlett et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,010 for Device for the Setting Up of a Data Display Device on a Work Surface issued to Helgeland et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,687 for Swivel/Tilt Mounting Device for a Cathode Ray Tube issued to Sweere, U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,720 for tilt swivel Base issued to Gregory et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,872 for Termintal with Tilt-Swivel Display issued to Marino et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,081 for Tiltable and Swivable Mounting Assembly for a Video Display Terminal issued to Ermanski, U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,892 for Tiltable Rotating Display Monitor Mount issued to Czech et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,782 for Arrangement for Mounting Apparatus issued to Carlson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,864 for Tilt and Swivel Mechanism issued to Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,387 for Tilt and Swivel Support Apparatus issued to Sampson, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,858 for Electronic Information Equipment issued to Kawamoto et al.
While these recent efforts provide advantages, I note that they fail to adequately provide a portable computer having a cover support mechanism.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable computer having a cover support mechanism, capable of preventing its cover from being vibrated, thereby allowing information input to be easily performed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a portable computer having a cover support mechanism, capable of protecting its hinge mechanism and cables from being damaged.
In order to accomplish the above objects and others, the present invention provides a portable computer, comprising a main body, a cover having a display screen on its inside surface, a hinge mechanism connecting the cover to the main body so as to allow the cover to be tilted relative to the main body around a horizontal tilting axis and to be swiveled around a vertical swiveling axis, the horizontal tilting axis being free from intersecting the horizontal swiveling axis, and cover support means for supporting the outside surface of the cover free from the display screen and preventing vibration of the cover, when the cover is swiveled at an angle of 180 degrees and tilted completely toward the main body so that the display screen faces upward.
According to another embodiment, the cover support means may consist of two support brackets respectively fixed to both end portions of a rear surface of the main body and two cap assemblies respectively engaged with the support brackets, each of the cap assemblies comprising a cap, a cradle and a return spring, the cradle being projected forward out of the cap while being normally biased forward by the return spring.
According to a further embodiment, a projected support portion may be formed on the outside surface of the cover so as to fill the space between the cover and the main body when the cover is swiveled at an angle of 180 degrees and tilted completely toward the main body so that the display screen faces upward.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a portable computer apparatus, comprising: a base; a cover having a front surface and a back surface, said front surface including a display screen conveying varying visual information to a user; a hinge assembly coupling said cover to said base, forming a first axis of rotation oriented parallel to said base, and forming a second axis of rotation oriented parallel to said cover, said cover tilting toward and away from said base around the first axis, said cover swiveling around the second axis, the first axis not intersecting with the second axis; and a support unit supporting said back surface of said cover when said cover is swiveled and tilted to a position having said back surface facing toward said base and having said display screen facing away from said base.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.